Former students visit Lavender 65 years later
Two former pupils who attended Lavender Primary School in the 1950s have returned to the school for a special tour.
Roger, who now lives in South Africa, and his friend Shirley visited the Enfield school together more than 65 years after they left.
Despite being the same age, the pair weren’t in the same class because girls and boys were taught separately in different parts of the building. And that’s just one of many things that have changed at the school since Roger and Shirley, who both turned 76 this month, were in education.
Jodie Corbett, Head of School at Lavender, said: “There were lots of new things at the school, including our media learning zone, which Roger and Shirley enjoyed seeing and finding out more about. But they said that many things had stayed the same including the upstairs classrooms, even the radiators and doors looked the same!”
The former pupils aren’t the only special guests to have attended the school for a VIP tour this year. In February the Duchess of Cambridge visited Lavender to mark Children’s Mental Health Week, where she chatted to pupils and parents.
My name is Ian Davey and I was at Lavender Road School from 1948-1955 with my twin brother Keith . We lived in nearby Kenilworth Crescent
I have found a photograph of class 4a ( Mr Sanderson was the form teacher) taken in summer 1955 before we all transferred to senior schools and have been able put full names to 32 of the 42 classmates in the photo The class number was 44 but 2 were absent.
I would like to name all of them so I wonder whether in the school archives there is a list of pupils names for that year and class which will be of great assistance . Can you be of help please
In the picture shown in Ivy News 26 Sept 2019 am I right in recognising Roger Davis ? I recognise the lady from the form photo unfortunately I cannot recall her name
I still have my school reports from that period which show that class 1a was taught by Mrs Woolhouse, class 2a by Miss Bullen and classes 3a 4a by Mr Sanderson and they were all signed by Miss Jennings the headmistress.
Hoping you will be able to help
Ian Davey
My name is Rod Smith, and was 76 in July 2000 and would have been a school year above. The one thing I do not have memories of is boys being separated from the girls. At that age boys very rarely played in mixed play time, but until reading Ian ‘s memories I have always only remembered mixed classes. I was always a B form with Miss ? (who I think married Mr. Burrows, another L. Rd. teacher).
Unlike Ian I am still local. For many years actually sold the school uniform.
Remember you from football. You went to enfield grammar and I went to Trinity grammar and we played against each other